บท 398: Chapter 398: Pudu Cihang
At this moment, the giant golden Buddha slowly opened its eyes. Two beams of golden light shot out, instantly enveloping Gu Lei. Then, the main hall was empty.
The last image of the live stream on the phone was this scene.
Then it cut off.
Those watching the live stream were dumbfounded.
That's it?
Yanhai City.
Jin Heli arrived at the office, her expression serious.
"Something's happened again."
The one-eyed man, seeing her serious expression, knew it must be business-related. "Where this time?"
"Mount Putuo."
"A live streamer was broadcasting from Mount Putuo. An ancient temple appeared. The information is all here. I've just had someone compile all the details, including some speculations."
The one-eyed man was surprised. Buddhist again?
Damn it.
Couldn't it be something else?
But thinking about it, he understood. Nine out of ten famous mountains have temples, which shows how prevalent Buddhism was at that time, surpassing Taoism, Confucianism, and other sects.
In modern terms, the evangelists were too good. Even now, they would be gold-medal lecturers.
The one-eyed man flipped through the documents. Jin Heli was meticulous, and the information was well-organized, including various detailed pictures extracted from the video, allowing them to speculate based on these details.
"This temple is strange. That person was enveloped by a beam of light. It looks like things are bad."
"What do you think?"
Jin Heli pondered, pushing up her glasses. "I agree. There's a cycad tree in the video, but it's not like any cycad we've seen before. It really looks like it's made of iron, and it's actually blooming. The vibrant colors of the flowers couldn't be faked."
"In ancient legends, the blooming of an iron tree is often used to describe the expiration of a seal on ghosts and demons. A normal Buddhist temple wouldn't have such a thing. Its appearance can only mean there's a real problem."
The one-eyed man slowly exhaled, lit a cigarette, and puffed, scratching his head as he thought about the troublesome matter.
"It's really annoying. The Changbai Mountain situation hasn't been resolved, and now Mount Putuo has appeared. Who knows what will show up next. The current situation isn't favorable for us."
Jin Heli said, "Chief, we should consolidate our resources and enhance the strength of some individuals, at least to catch up with the Starry Sky Clans or be capable of resolving the issues arising from these famous mountains."
The one-eyed man blinked.
The meaning was clear.
Who had the most resources?
Definitely the special department in Yanhai City.
She was clearly asking them to hand over the good stuff they'd worked so hard to obtain.
"We're already working on it. Look at Liu Haichan, Lin Daoming, and the others. They've made great progress," the one-eyed man said.
I've already made it this clear. If you still can't understand what I mean, it's truly regrettable.
Jin Heli said, "I've already seen that."
The one-eyed man was startled. Fortunately, Jin Heli was on their side.
"Monitor the situation at Mount Putuo. Allocate a working group specifically responsible for Changbai Mountain and Mount Putuo. Free up some more personnel. I'm afraid this kind of situation will happen more frequently in the future. We must pay attention to these situations at all times."
There was no other way. This kind of situation would only become more common in the future.
Preparing in advance was definitely the right move.
"Yes."
Jin Heli responded and continued working.
The one-eyed man then left the office.
He had to find Lin Fan.
Downstairs in the garden.
Lin Fan and the others were watering the Dao Tree.
"Little Yan Yan, this tree is sentient. You can water and fertilize it when you're free, and it will protect you," Lin Fan said.
Little Yan Yan was Zhang Hongmin's daughter.
Zhang Hongmin's job was as a bathhouse scrubber, a skilled job with good pay. It might be tiring, but he enjoyed it.
"Mm-hmm, I know."
The Dao Tree, upon hearing this, wanted to retort. Watering was fine, but fertilizing? Did they want to fertilize it with manure?
Liu Haichan had become a devoted follower of the Dao Tree.
He worshipped the Dao Tree.
Taoist knowledge was vast and boundless, impossible to learn in a lifetime. Encountering a Taoist treasure tree was like meeting the Taoist ancestor himself. How could he be anything but respectful?
The one-eyed man walked up to Lin Fan. "Fan, can we talk about something?"
"Sure, go ahead," Lin Fan smiled.
The one-eyed man said, "We've encountered a bit of trouble."
"No problem, I'll help you solve it."
"That's straightforward."
"There's nothing straightforward about it. You've helped my friends, so I'll definitely help you, no matter what. If I can solve it, I definitely will. Even if I can't, I'll still try my best to help you solve it."
Lin Fan spoke sincerely, and the one-eyed man was deeply moved. In today's society, people like Lin Fan were truly rare.
The one-eyed man briefly explained the situation.
"Oh, I understand. Mount Putuo, you want to go to another mountain, right? Just tell me the time, and I'll be available whenever." Lin Fan didn't take the matter seriously. Accompanying someone to a mountain he hadn't visited before, what could be the problem?
Moreover, in Lin Fan's heart, the one-eyed man was a really good person. His appearance was a bit fierce, but he was truly a good person.
"By the way, have some time for Old Zhang to take a look at your eye. I always forget to mention it, and I just remembered," Lin Fan said.
Old Zhang said, "If it were before, I definitely wouldn't have helped you, but since you've helped us, I'm willing to give you acupuncture."
Hearing this, the one-eyed man almost spat out a mouthful of blood.
I came to you for help, and you want to stick needles in me? Is this necessary?
The one-eyed man had forgotten how many times he had been tricked.
But he had sworn he wouldn't be tricked again.
"Thanks, I'll have the opportunity," the one-eyed man smiled, his smile conveying a "you wish" meaning.
Lin Fan and Old Zhang readily accepted it.
They felt that the one-eyed man had agreed.
The news of the ancient temple appearing on Mount Putuo had leaked out.
Besides the special department, the Shadow Society also knew.
The Shadow Society had suffered heavy losses, with the fall of a high-ranking member. It was a real blow, but even so, it couldn't stop their progress. Death was just death. If you didn't die, who could rise to the top?
The people below were getting impatient.
Bei Tao hadn't informed Mu Hao and the other Starry Sky powerhouses. The Shadow Society had to be the first to benefit.
In the Shadow Society, life was the cheapest thing.
A group of level nine powerhouses was dispatched to Mount Putuo to investigate the situation.
Night.
A group of Shadow Society members stood outside the ancient temple.
"Isn't it a bit risky to act at night?"
The main concern was danger.
Daytime was much better; everything was clear. But now, at night, they felt as if something was watching them, every move observed.
"You tell the organization. If we wait until tomorrow to act, it will be too late. We must be faster than the special department."
Soon.
They entered the temple directly.
Not long after.
Within the dark temple, a golden light suddenly bloomed. In the blink of an eye, it vanished, and everything returned to calm, silently, without even a scream.
Shadow Society headquarters.
The light spots on the screen instantly disappeared.
Everyone was stunned.
They obviously hadn't expected this to happen. So many level nine powerhouses, without even a whimper, were completely annihilated. It was simply too terrifying.
When Bei Tao learned of this, he sighed. This matter wasn't something they could control.
These people were just experimental subjects.
If they could last a while in the Mount Putuo ancient temple, or gain something, they wouldn't have to rely on the Starry Sky Clans to investigate.
But now, with level nines instantly perishing, it exceeded their expectations.
Sending more people would only lead to more deaths.
August 29th!
The weather wasn't very good, with dark clouds covering the sky and a light drizzle falling.
"Really taking them with you?"
The one-eyed man looked at Old Zhang and the others. This wasn't a vacation. Exploring a new place could be troublesome.
Lin Fan said, "We rarely separate."
"It's very dangerous."
"Where I am, they won't be in danger."
Since he had put it that way, the one-eyed man knew that saying anything more would be pointless.
They set off!
Mount Putuo.
After landing, the one-eyed man answered a call.
He didn't speak; it was the person on the other end who did all the talking.
The one-eyed man's expression turned unpleasant.
He hung up.
He hadn't expected someone from headquarters to come.
The leader was Old Master Xu.
This was a real resource grab. If it were anyone else, he could use his shamelessness to send them back empty-handed. But now… He knew Old Master Xu's character. If there was any advantage to be taken, his old face would become as thick as bark.
"Waiting for someone?" Lin Fan asked.
"Mm-hmm."
Not long after.
Several figures approached from afar.
Leading the way was Old Master Xu, followed by the White Cloud Old Swordsman, Jin Shangwu, Heng Jianqiu, Xia Kunyun, and others.
Another confrontation.
Both his enemies were here. This trip wouldn't be peaceful.
"You really didn't need to come. You can leave it to us," the one-eyed man said, his tone unfriendly, making it clear that he really didn't welcome them. Please don't do this. Can you go back? I'll personally escort you back if you want.
Old Master Xu came up to the one-eyed man, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "We're a team, all fighting for humanity. How can we put all the burden on you? You're already under enough pressure. Rest assured, we're here with you."
These words were full of tricks.
The one-eyed man cursed inwardly. Shameless. If Lin Fan weren't here, I'd like to see if you'd dare to shoulder this with me.
"Lin Fan, you've become even more handsome," Old Master Xu said. When speaking to the one-eyed man, he was still somewhat serious, but when interacting with Lin Fan, he was all smiles, like an old flatterer, acting as if they were very close.
"Really?" Lin Fan touched his face, feeling that it was true.
"Of course, so handsome I'm envious."
Old Master Xu and the others, having lived through their youthful years, were naturally familiar with certain social niceties. For example, complimenting someone's handsome appearance was something everyone enjoyed hearing.
They recalled their own younger days.
It was the same back then.
They loved being told they were handsome.
Look at Lin Fan's smiling face, how happy he is. One glance is enough to tell that he's quite pleased with our compliments.
"Shameless." One-Eyed Man couldn't endure it any longer. This was truly a new low. He never imagined that the headquarters director and these high-ranking officials would throw their integrity out the window just to curry favor with Lin Fan.
"Hmm? What did you say?" Old Master Xu inquired.
The headquarters director held a high position, with the authority to appoint regional department heads. Of course, he certainly couldn't replace One-Eyed Man, otherwise who would be qualified to control Yanhai City?
"Sigh, is it really so difficult to acknowledge someone else's excellence?" Xia Kunyun lamented.
What the hell!
One-Eyed Man stared, fixated on Xia Kunyun. Were those even human words?
Was he, One-Eyed Man, truly someone incapable of acknowledging others' strengths?
Preposterous.
He no longer wanted to utter a single word to this group. It was completely pointless and only served to frustrate him.
"Do you remember me?" Heng Jianqiu was eager to build a good relationship with Lin Fan. They had met once before, when he was the expert who got sprayed in the face by the demonic rooster.
Lin Fan stared at him, as if trying to recall, then shook his head. "I don't remember."
He was telling the truth, but the truth often hurts.
Heng Jianqiu felt awkward. Under normal circumstances, even if someone didn't remember, they would still save face and say they did, avoiding embarrassment for both parties.
But Lin Fan was truly disappointing.
"Hahaha."
One-Eyed Man laughed out loud. What were they all thinking? They seemed to be dreaming. He didn't want to harp on it, but how many times had they been here? Did they really expect Lin Fan to remember them? Didn't they know Lin Fan's memory wasn't that great?
Old Swordsman Baiyun shook his head. At their age, they were still trying to flatter a young man. He didn't know what to say.
Soon.
They arrived outside the ancient temple.
"A magnificent temple, with the aura of a bygone era."
One-Eyed Man examined the temple before him. It had definitely existed for a very long time; that ancient feeling couldn't be mistaken.
If Lin Fan weren't with them, they would definitely stand outside, investigating the situation thoroughly before venturing inside. Now, things were different. With Lin Fan's presence, they didn't need to worry about their safety. No matter what they encountered, they could just have Lin Fan handle it, ensuring their absolute security.
"It's a beautiful building. Let's go inside and have a look," Lin Fan said.
Everyone followed behind Lin Fan.
In this situation, no one dared to walk ahead of him. If they encountered danger, who could withstand it?
"It seems a bit dangerous."
Ginseng had a strong sense of danger, having witnessed many things while following its previous master. Whether an ancient temple had problems might not be discernible to the naked eye, but with careful observation, one might be able to sense it.
The situation inside the temple was exactly the same as in the live stream.
The first thing One-Eyed Man noticed was the iron tree.
An object with special meaning.
Potentially dangerous.
Perhaps it was true, as the legends said, that iron trees often suppressed terrifying demons and monsters.
Ginseng patted the demonic rooster's head. "Don't panic, with your Ginseng bro here, your safety is guaranteed."
Now, the demonic rooster was Ginseng's exclusive mount.
The demonic rooster shook its head, inwardly furious. Damn it, if you pat me again, I'll throw you off.
Heng Jianqiu pointed into the distance. "Look at those things, aren't they rare herbs? Could they be treasures?"
"Hard to say."
"Let's pick them. Regardless of what they are, we can take them back for analysis. Perhaps we can discover their uses."
"That makes sense."
Outside, they were all individuals of high status, but here, they acted like they had never seen the world before, with an air of leaving no blade of grass untouched wherever they went.
Lin Fan said, "Isn't it a bit inappropriate to pick someone else's things without their permission?"
"Good character, good principles. But the situation is different now. This temple clearly appears deserted, so these things are ownerless. Whoever finds them, keeps them." Old Master Xu subtly complimented Lin Fan while simultaneously relieving him of any psychological burden.
"I think there's someone here," Lin Fan said.
As soon as he spoke, everyone who had started to move immediately returned to Lin Fan's side, looking at him in confusion. For them, Lin Fan's words held more weight than anyone else's.
"Are you sure?" One-Eyed Man asked.
Recalling the streamer who disappeared here, they knew there was a problem, just not what the problem was. Now that Lin Fan said there was someone here, who could it be? They had already arrived, yet no one had appeared. There was only one possibility: the person was hiding in the darkness, waiting for them to take the bait.
Lin Fan pointed to the main hall. "There's a certain aura in there. I think that's where it is."
Everyone looked towards the main hall.
"Let's go have a look," One-Eyed Man said.
Lin Fan said, "Are you asking me to go look?"
"Yes." One-Eyed Man was helpless. Their strength was limited, and they often struggled to solve the problems they encountered. Apart from Lin Fan, who could handle it?
"Don't worry, the aura isn't too strong. I think it's rather weak," Lin Fan said.
Heng Jianqiu said, "If it's weak, then there's nothing to worry about."
As soon as he finished speaking, he was met with numerous eye rolls.
"Did I say something wrong?" Heng Jianqiu was puzzled. He didn't think he had misspoken. Their looks made him feel a little uneasy.
One-Eyed Man didn't say anything, only thinking, truly foolish.
Could the "weak" that Lin Fan spoke of be the kind of weak he imagined?
It was likely strong to the point where he wouldn't even have the ability to resist.
Lin Fan walked forward, pushing open the main hall doors. The hall was empty, and beside a prayer cushion lay a mobile phone, presumably left behind by the streamer.
"There's a smell of blood."
He sniffed the air.
He detected the faint scent of blood lingering in the air.
One-Eyed Man and the others couldn't possibly know; they relied on Lin Fan's words. Whatever Lin Fan said, they believed it to be true.
"What a magnificent golden Buddha."
One-Eyed Man looked at the ten-meter-tall golden Buddha. For some reason, this golden Buddha gave him immense pressure, making his heart pound.
Perhaps it was because, as a graduate of the Buddhist Academy, he had a connection to these temple Buddhas that ordinary people lacked.
Lin Fan said, "The aura is coming from the golden Buddha."
He pointed at the golden Buddha, directly identifying the source of the problem.
The seemingly inanimate golden Buddha suddenly opened its eyes, emitting two beams of golden light that attempted to engulf Lin Fan and the others.
However, just as these golden beams were about to touch Lin Fan, they were blocked by the power emanating from his body.
One-Eyed Man and the others were startled. They hadn't expected the golden Buddha, which they had considered inanimate, to suddenly attack. The action was so practiced, clearly having been done many times before. If Lin Fan hadn't reacted in time, they might very well have been hit.
When everyone finally processed the situation, the ten-meter-tall golden Buddha had mysteriously vanished.
"Where did the golden Buddha go?"
"I don't know."
"I think I saw a flash of light, and then the golden Buddha disappeared without a trace."
They were all top-tier experts.
For them to be caught off guard, the situation must have been beyond their expectations.
"He's standing right there," Lin Fan said, pointing to the spot where the golden Buddha had been.
One-Eyed Man and the others stared blankly at Lin Fan, rubbing their eyes. They couldn't see anything. Then, they thought of the legendary invisibility, a supernatural ability from myths and legends.
In the blink of an eye, a figure appeared before them.
"You can actually see through this Master's divine concealment."
The speaker wore a tall, horn-like hat, a string of fist-sized sandalwood beads around his neck. He looked like an enlightened monk, yet gave off a rather incongruous feeling.
"Yes, I can see you," Lin Fan said with a smile.
One-Eyed Man asked in a deep voice, "Who are you?"
Pudu Cihang's voice was sharp. "This Master is Pudu Cihang. Why do you mortals not kneel before this Master? You even resisted this Master's Western Heavenly Buddha Light. Do you all wish to descend into hell?"
"Did you kill that streamer?" One-Eyed Man felt that this guy was very problematic, incongruous, and definitely not a good person. His distorted Buddhist rhetoric... A monk? Impossible. He didn't feel like a proper monk.
"Amitabha, well said, well said. They were steeped in sin. This Master has already cleansed their sins and guided them to the Western Paradise." Pudu Cihang pressed his palms together, appearing very Buddha-like, but the malevolence on his face was heavy, giving off a demonic vibe.
One-Eyed Man roared, "Bullshit! Who are you? You're full of nonsense! This ancient temple could never have produced a demonic monk like you, filled with such evil."
As someone from the Buddhist Academy, One-Eyed Man loathed those who impersonated Buddhists.
Pudu Cihang's eyes widened in anger, his voice turning sinister. "You are all filled with too much hostility, which harms the harmonious aura of this Master. This Master will cleanse you of your hostility."
As soon as he finished speaking, Pudu Cihang began chanting scriptures.
The sound was powerful, coming from all directions, a constant buzzing that seemed to possess the power to captivate the mind.
"Hey, stop chanting," Lin Fan said.
The moment he spoke, the main hall suddenly fell silent.
Pudu Cihang looked at Lin Fan. His life-taking Sanskrit chants had been broken by the other party, and quite easily at that. He was clearly shocked.
Old Master Xu frowned. He hadn't spoken a word from beginning to end, observing the surroundings. To him, the appearance of such a being was undoubtedly related to this ancient temple.
He had investigated the situation here before coming.
"Is the iron tree outside used to suppress you?"
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